Pakistan
must take initiative in directing attention of the International Community
towards the plight faced by the Muslim population of Myanmar

‘The newly elected
prime minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will have all the
troubles Pakistan sorted out, provided he steadfastly believes in the
Omnipotence of Allah.’ This was stated
by Ameer of Tanzeem-e-Islami, Hafiz Akif Saeed, at Qur’an Academy Lahore during
the Friday Sermon.The Ameer said that authority of bestowing or ridding
people of power rests with Allah alone. The same Nawaz Sharif who was spending
time behind bars a decade ago is now heading the state of Pakistan, which is
evidence enough that Allah makes people experience the ebbs and flows of life, the
Ameer noted. After all these experiences, Mr. Sharif must have realized by now
that the ultimate authority rests with Allah alone and Mr. Sharif must
dutifully act according to the will and pleasure of the Creator. The Ameer
expressed concerns about some media reports suggesting that a number of high
ranking US officials had called upon Mr. Sharif recently. The Ameer advised Mr.
Sharif and all others in positions of authority in Pakistan to be wary of the
nefarious intentions that the US and its allies hold against our nation.

Commenting on the plight of Muslims
living in Myanmar, the Ameer said that the situation there was no less than
genocide. He lamented the lack of focus and commitment shown by Muslim
countries in trying to persuade the Myanmar authorities to intervene and stop
murder at such a massive scale. He demanded the issue to be taken up at
international forums. He said that the Pakistani government must sensitize the
rest of the Muslim countries about the ominous situation and chalk out a joint
plan to save Muslims in that country. The Ameer said that it was insensitivity
of this nature that had made the blood of Muslims insignificant around the
world.

Earlier in the sermon, the Ameer expounded
on the verses of the Qur’an by explaining the symptoms and various stages of
hypocrisy (Munafiqat). The Qur’an describes the fragility of faith as an
initial stage of hypocrisy, which in the next stage leads to a state of
compulsive lying in order to avoid the decrees ordained by Allah and his
messenger. Hypocrisy then takes root in the heart, and coupled with the
provocations of the Nafs and Satan, compels the person to wrongfully vouch in
Allah’s name, fearlessly and indiscriminately. The Ameer remarked that in the
final stage, a hypocrite consciously begins to abhor Islam and his insight is
attuned to all sorts of rival ideologies. It is this fourth category of
hypocrites that Allah declares will be cast into the bottom pit of the hellfire
(and Allah knows best), he said. Such hypocrites, he noted, although considered
Muslims in Islamic jurisprudence in this world, face the ultimate failure on
the Day of Judgment when all decisions will be made on the basis on intentions
and the reality that lies inside the heart.

He concluded by saying that we seek Allah’s
refuge from the ills of our Nafs, from the mischiefs of the accursed Satan and we
pray for His protection from the eternal hellfire. Ameen!